Product Details

• Released on: 2006-06-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Import
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 120 minutes

From Amazon.com
When most people think of the Vikings, they think of marauding hordes arriving in long ships, looting, pillaging, and mercilessly slaughtering anyone who dared stand in their way. Nova's look at the early Norse culture doesn't deny the Vikings their violent reputation, but at the same time examines the other roles they played in medieval history. The Vikings were excellent artisans, metalsmiths, and even engineers, with shipbuilding capabilities that far outstripped their contemporaries.

Historians and archaeologists have been able to trace the Vikings to Ireland, with plenty of evidence that Dublin was originally settled by the Norsemen. Much of early religious iconography from the British Isles even absorbed elements of the Vikings' pagan beliefs. Nova follows scientists as they research evidence that the Vikings were the first to land in North America (their stay was cut short by hostile natives), predating Columbus by several hundred years, and as they reconstruct an ancient village and trading outpost on the island of Labrador. In typically exhaustive Nova fashion, the second installment of the two-hour video retraces a Viking trade expedition through Russia and considers the theory that the Vikings may have actually been the first to settle the country. A Swedish research team even reconstructs a Viking-style trading ship and takes it on Russia's rivers, building a small trailer to portage the ship by hand when the river becomes too shallow to navigate. This fascinating look at medieval Norse life casts the Vikings in a different light, one that looks far beyond their barbaric reputation. --Jerry Renshaw